About Us

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Vision:

A healthy Texas-Mexico border

Mission:

To improve health and well-being along the Texas-Mexico border

Background

In the 1980s and 1990s, considerable attention was directed to the Texas-Mexico border region because of its high population growth and growing concerns about adverse health and environmental conditions. A pivotal event occurred in April, 1991, when three babies with anencephaly died soon after birth in a Brownsville, Texas, health clinic within a 36 hour period. In response to border health concerns a number of legislative actions were taken, including enacting bills to establish (1) a birth defects registry to actively identify children born with birth defects and (2) an office of border health to coordinate and promote health and environmental issues between this state and Mexico.

Office of Border Health Mandate

In 1991, the 72nd Texas Legislature enacted Health and Safety Code, Sub-chapter 12, § 12.071, that stipulates that “The department shall establish and maintain an office to coordinate and promote health issues between this state and Mexico.” Note that in the early 1990s, all 4 U.S. border state public health departments (i.e., Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico) established border health offices.